Harmonica.



PATENTED JUNE 11, 1907.

M. J. REIDY.

HARMONICA.

APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 2, 1906.

[NVENTOR A TTORNEYS WITNESSES:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARMONICA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 1 1, 1 907.

Application filed June 2,1906. Serial No. 319,853-

T0 at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MArrHnw J. REIDY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mechanicsville, in the county of Cedar and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Ha monica, of which the following is a SPGClfiCiLw tion.

This invention relates to harmonicas, and has for its object to avoid injuring the lips and corners of the mouth by reason of the friction thereon occasioned by moving the harmonica back and forth across the mouth. To accomplish this object, it is proposed to equip the harmonica with a mouth piece adapted to beheld stationary in the mouth and to permit of the body of the harmonica being worked back and forth in the usual mannner, whereby the mouth piece protects the mouth against friction from the harmonica.

A further object of the invention is to enable adjustment of the mouth piece so as to expose only a limited number of reeds for actuation at one time. This adjustment of the mouth piece is particularly useful for the purpose of eliminating such openings as are unnecessary to the air or leading part of the music.

\Vith these and other objects in view, the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawing and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, and size minor details may be made, within the scope of the claims without de parting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing: Figure 1 is a perspective view of a harmonica having the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the attachment, the harmonica being in elevation. Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse sectional view of the device with the harmonica in elevation. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective View of the attachment removed from the harmonica.

*Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawing.

Prior to entering into details of the present invention, it will be explained that the in vention is in the nature of an attachment to an ordinary harmonica, and to enable the application of the attachment no change or alteration in the harmonica is required beyond removing the usual guard or case members which are applied to the top and. bottom of the body of the harmonica so as to house the reeds, although such guards or case members may remain in place.

The present attachment consists of a tubu lar open ended case 1, preferably of metal, although it may be made of celluloid. or other material. This case is rectangular in cross section, preferably in the shape of an oblong, and provided at its back edge with a reduced extension 2 constituting a seat in which the back edge of the harmonica body 3 is received and also forming a guideway in which the harmonica body is adapted to slide in an endwise direction. The front of the case is-also provided with a reduced portion 4 to form a guideway for slidable recep tion of the front portion of the body of the harmonica, the sides of this guideway being pressed inwardly to form external longitudinal grooves 5. In the front 4 of the case, there is a longitudinal slot or opening 6 which begins about midway between the ends of the ease and extends toward either end thereof, preferably the left hand end of the case, to permit the harmonica being played in the usual manner.

The mouth piece 7 is provided with inturned. longitudinal flanges 8 which are slid into the grooves 5 so as to hold the mouth piece upon the front of the ease with a sullicient friction to hold the mouth pi ecc at any adjusted position upon the case,'and at the same time to permit of the mouth piece being forcibly moved endwise for adjusting the same upon the case. A longitudinal slot or opening 9 is formed in the mouth piece. Vhen the openings of the mouth piece and the case are in alinement, as shown in F ig. 1, such air passages of the harmonica as are opposite the alined openings, are in position to be played upon, and by moving the harmonicabody back and forth through the case, any of the air passages maybe brought into alinement with the opening, whereby the harmonica may be played upon and manipulated. in the usual manner without injuring the mouth of the player, as the case and mouth piece remain stationary in the mouth.

To facilitate the sliding of the harmonica body through the'case, it is proposed to attach to one end of the harmonica body a suitable handle comjn'ising a stem or shank 10 attached to the end of the body say for in- IIO stance, by being threaded into the body, the outer end of the stem being provided with a loop 1.1 adapted to receive the thumb of the right hand of the player, whereby the body may be conveniently reciprocated within the case.

When the harmonica is not in use, it is pushed into the case until it is entirely housed therein, it of course being understood that it is proposed to have the case approximate the length of the harmonica body so as to entirely house the same when not in use. A suitable set screw 12 is carried by the rear reduced portion or guideway 2 of the case, and is capable of being set against the body of the harmonica in rear of the reeds so as to prevent looseness of the body within the case when the device is not in use.

It will here be explained that the mouth piece is shorter than the case, and its opening 9 registers throughout its length with the opening 6 in the front of the case when the mouth piece has been moved to the left hand end of the case as best shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing. Furthermore the length of the mouth piece is such that when the mouth piece is moved to the right for the purpose of covering the entire length of the opening 6 in the case, the right hand end of the mouth piece will lie flush with or short of the right hand end of the case thereby to obviate the projecting of the mouth piece beyond the case.

Suitable air escape-openings 13 are formed in the back of the case at opposite sides of the guideway 2, as best shown in Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing.

It is preferred to have the opening 6 in the case long enough to expose the number of reed openings ordinarily brought into use in producing the air or leading part of the music and the other tones which are employed to harmonize therewith, particularly the accompaniment.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is:

1. A harmonica provided with a closure for a predetermined number of air passages of the harmonica body, the body and the closure being assembled to permit reciprocation of the body upon the closure, and a mouth piece adj ustably carried by the closure for closing certain of the other air passages and provided with an opening to expose the remammg air passages.

2. A harmonica provided with a case entirely surrounding the body of the harmonica and through which the harmonica body is capable of being reeiprocated, the front of the case being provided with an opening exposing certain of the air passages of the harmonica body.

3. A harmonica provided with a case entirely surrounding the body of the harmonica and through which the harmonica body is capable of being reciprocated, the front of the case having an opening to expose certain of the air passages of the harmonica body, and a handle carried by one end of the body and projecting externally of the case.

4. A harmonica provided with a case ontirely surrounding the body of the harmonica and through which the harmonica body is capable of being reciprocated, the front of the case having an opening to expose certain of the air passages of the harmonica body, and a handle carried by one end of the harmonica body and provided with a loop for the reception of a thumb or finger of a player.

' 5. A harmonica provided with a case through which the harmonica body .is capable of being reciprocated, the front of the case having an opening exposing certain of the air passages of the harmonica body, and a mouth piece carried by the front of the case and provided with an opening for alinement with the opening of the case, the mouth piece being adjustable upon the case to vary the size of the opening in the latter.

6. A harmonica attachment comprising a closure member provided with an opening to expose certain of the air passages of a harmonica body and also having means to con meet the closure with the body and permit reciprocation of the latter upon the closure, and a mouth piece carried by the closure and provided with an opening for registration with the opening of the closure, said mouth piece being adjustable upon the closure to vary the size of the opening thereof.

7. A harmonica attachment comprising a case in which a harmonica body is adapted to reciprocate, the front oi the case having an opening to expose. a predetermined number of the air passages of the harmonica body, and a mouth piece having an opening for registration with the opening in the front of the case, said mouth piece being adjustable upon the case to vary the size of the opening thereof.

8. A harmonica attachment comprising a case having front and rear lon itudinal guideways for the reception of the front and rear portions of a harmonica body and in which said body is capable of reciprocation, the front guideway of the case having an opening to expose a predetermined number of the air passages of the harmonica body,

and a mouth piece upon the front guideway and provided with an opening for registration with the opening therein, said mouth piece capable of adjustment upon the guideway to vary the size of the opening therein.

9. A harmonica having its reeds exposed and provided with a case through which the harmonica body is capable of being reciprocated, and which forms a housing for the reeds the front of the ease having an opening to expose certain of the air passages of the harmonicabody, and means to hold the harment of the harmonica body to prevent monica body against movement through the movement of the latter through the case case when not in use. when not in use.

10. A harmonica provided with a case en- In testimony that I claim the foregoing as 5 tirely surrounding the body of the harmonica my own, I have hereto al'liXed my signature 15 and through which the harmonica body is in the presence of two witnesses.

cap able of being reciprocated, the l'ront 01 the MATTHEWV J REIDY. case having an opening to expose eertain of Witnesses: the air passages of the harmonica body, and JAS. V7. GILLEsPIE,

IO a set screw carried by the case for engage JOHN L. LYNCH. 

